


To be known

by artisan447



Category: Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Time, M/M, Two Blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-02
Updated: 2008-02-02
Packaged: 2017-10-02 05:38:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artisan447/pseuds/artisan447
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two Blood Universe (OW). Buck finally tells a secret, and things don't go quite the way he planned.</p><p>"...I figured maybe if you got to know the wolf first, it'd be less of a hurdle."</p>
            </blockquote>





	To be known

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been an experiment with writing style, so it took a little longer than normal to bring to life. Many thanks to farad and siluria, who helped coax it into existence and to charlottechill for a final beta. Also to Joe Lawson for the original Two Blood AU (OW).
> 
> Extra note: Set just after they all met up in Four Corners.

  
**To be known**

  
He's sawing wood at the perimeter of the forest when he first sees it, a dark grey shape, lithe and insubstantial, that hugs the edge of the tree line.

He pauses and wipes the sweat out of his eyes, and when he looks up again it's gone.

 

*~*~*

 

The second time, he's no more than thirty feet away but almost misses it. He's fixing the western side of the corral fence, the one closest to the trees, and the movement is framed between two of the rails.

Even three-quarters hidden in the shadows he can tell it's big. Bigger than any timber wolf he's ever seen and he freezes, unable to tear his eyes away.

It's standing perfectly still and yet is all power and strength. Its beauty awes him.

The yellow eyes blink once and then it's gone.

 

*~*~*

 

The third and fourth times spook him a little.

Both times he's out riding by himself close to dusk and he can feel the eyes that track him. He can picture the strength and sinew of muscles that bunch and flex as the wolf trails through the trees, pacing him effortlessly as he rides.

He never quite sees a solid shape, just glimpses of darkness where there should be light and a flash of silver now and then where there should be nothing but shadow, but he hasn't a second's doubt as to what it is.

The hair rises on the back of his neck but he's strangely unafraid. The animal hasn't made any effort to come close so he just can't see it as a threat. But he can't deny it's strange and he's never seen a wolf behave this way.

Even so, he's more curious as to what it is this wild creature could possibly need that drives it to seek the company of a man.

 

*~*~*

 

He meets Buck for coffee when he returns to town, out in front of the jail as has become their habit, and it's not long before he starts to talk about what he's seen.

But he's barely begun the story when he pauses too long and loses the words. How does he tell a man as grounded in reality as Buck, that he thinks a wolf is stalking him?

Buck's not listening anyway, he's more interested in JD's efforts to woo one of the local girls, so he lets the subject drop.

 

*~*~*

 

He tries again a couple of days later, only this time it's Vin sitting across the table in the saloon.

He doesn't even try to tell the story this time, just asks: "You reckon a wolf on its own close to town means trouble?"

Vin just shrugs because he's not one to judge man or beast without the right kind of information.

They spend the next afternoon checking tracks in the forest around the cabin.

 

*~*~*

 

"You sure?" he asks, when Vin sits back on his haunches and scuffs the spoor with a twig.

"One set of tracks, cowboy," Vin replies, standing with an effortless grace, "seems to be fit and strong, though."

They toss around reasons why a healthy wolf would be out on its own, and head back to the cabin.

 

*~*~*

 

It's hard to believe they've been apart so long when everything slots back into place so easy. But then Buck's been a constant for the better part of his adult life and this is, after all, why he came here, to this small town.

It's a relief to just let their connection happen again.

It's more than a week till he heads out to the cabin, and he hasn't thought of the wolf at all.

 

*~*~*

 

He's almost forgotten about it by the time it shows up again. He's crouched over the creek filling a bucket with water and he can't even say why he looks where he does.

But the wolf is right there, lying on its belly less than fifty feet away, still and quiet. It's close enough that he appreciates the feel of his gun at his hip, but he simply sets the bucket down and keeps perfectly still, drawn by the fierce animal regard.

He couldn't say how long they both stay where they are, unmoving, but when the animal finally jerks away, and he stands, his back and legs are sore.

 

*~*~*

 

"Hey Buck!" JD says, almost bursting with enthusiasm. "Did you hear Chris's got a wolf hanging around the cabin?"

"That so?" Buck replies as he pulls up a chair and thumps his beer glass down on the table. "You worried about having a pack so close?"

"There's no pack," Vin says, "just one."

"Huh?" Buck frowns, "is it sick?"

There's a pause and then Chris answers. "No, it's as healthy as any animal I've seen."

"Then what's it doing hanging around your place?" asks Buck.

"I'll be damned if I know, but it spent a good half hour lying on it's belly watching me chop wood yesterday," says Chris. "Damndest thing I ever saw."

"You gonna hunt it, Vin?" JD asks at the first pause in conversation.

Vin takes a minute before he replies and when he does, his words are considered. "Wolf's a spirit animal, JD," he says. "I ain't hunting one with no cause."

JD just shrugs, and turns to Chris. "What about you, Chris," he says. "You gonna chase it off?"

He doesn't answer straight away but when he does, he's made up his mind. "Ain't no reason to, JD. One wolf can't cause much trouble."

And that's the end of it.

 

*~*~*

 

He's surprised that it's Buck who next raises the subject when they're riding out to the cabin a couple of weeks later.

"That wolf still hanging around?"

"Yeah," he replies, but throws a speculative glance Buck's way. Wolf has never shown up when Buck was with him and he hasn't shown much interest till now. But Buck's not showing a spark of anything more than idle curiosity and the need to fill the silence of a familiar trail.

It niggles at him though, and after a while he says, just to be plain, "You ain't hunting it, if that's what you're thinking."

Buck just throws back his head and his great booming laugh rings out. "Hell no, Chris, sounds too much like hard work to me."

 

*~*~*

 

They're lying twined together on his narrow bed when Buck stirs and fidgets beside him.

He's tired and it's late and he can tell Buck has something bottled up.

"You gonna tell me what's eating you," he says.

It's clear Buck's not expecting him to ask and he sighs and pushes away and doesn't stop moving until he's standing by the bed pulling his pants up his long legs.

"Yeah, well there's something I've been wanting to tell you," he mumbles over his shoulder without looking back. "Might be a bit of a surprise."

 

*~*~*

 

"You... What?"

He's propped up on his elbow, still under the blanket, watching Buck pace in the small area between the bed and the table.

He sounds stupid, addle-brained but he really can't believe what Buck's telling him.

He swings his legs over the side of the bed with the bizarre thought that this might sound better if he's upright.

"You want to say that one more time?"

 

*~*~*

 

"Chris..." Buck has crouched beside him, a steadying hand on his knee, and there's something anxious showing in his eyes. "I can change, I'll show you---"

"What?! No! Jesus, Buck," he snaps. Not even the desperate edge to Buck's voice can make him want that.

"Ok, no." Buck drops his hand and rocks back on his heels, then runs his fingers through his hair. "All right. Bad idea."

 

*~*~*

 

"Look. I know this is weird. I can just..."

"Just what, take it back?

"Chris..."

"Jesus, Buck, did you even think at all?" He's almost shouting now, a mix of anger and fear rising so hard and fast it could choke him.

"What? Of course! I ain't hardly thought of anything else!" Buck is shouting back and it's like putting a torch to gunpowder the way it makes his rage flare.

"Then are you just plain stupid?" he demands, hands bunching into fists.

"Chris..."

"No. Do you have any idea at all how close I came to shooting you?! Christ!" He lurches to his feet afraid of what he might do if Buck touches him again.

He stops at the window and stares out into the dark because there's nothing else he can do.

It's a long time before Buck speaks and when he does he sounds contrite. "I'm sorry. It's not like I've ever done this before. Aside from pack -- family -- you're the first person I've told."

 

*~*~*

 

The sky's lighter outside the tiny window and he's so focused on not thinking, he's half way into his clothes before he even realises what he's doing.

Buck has moved away and is watching him from the chair by the stove, his eyes following every movement. It must be nearly killing him to stay silent.

Chris buckles his gun belt and drags on his heavy coat and is at the bottom of the porch steps before it occurs to him that he should say where he's going.

But he doesn't stop or go back and he's saddled up and a long way into the forest before he admits that's because he doesn't have a clue.

 

*~*~*

 

He relies on the jerky in his saddlebag for dinner then tries to sleep wrapped in a blanket on the ground.

Buck's words play over and over in his head and he still can't grasp their meaning.

"We're called Two Blood, Chris. ... I can be both wolf and human."

He's glad for the hunger that gnaws at his belly and the uncomfortable, sleepless night.

 

*~*~*

 

It takes till mid-morning for him to realise that he's never going to work this out on his own and turn his horse back to the cabin.

But he still holds tight to the spark of anger and betrayal, and won't admit, even to himself, that he's spent the better part of a day and a half watching for a familiar shadow and feeling stupidly alone.

 

*~*~*

 

The cabin is dark and silent when he approaches through the gathering dusk, and he's surprised to realise that when he'd thought at all about what Buck might do, he hadn't once considered he might leave. Which is stupid and arrogant and not even a fraction of what Buck deserves.

He's cursing himself for his selfishness when he catches a movement in the corral and makes out Buck's grey in the semi-dark.

The relief is strong and welcome, but it only takes him a minute to put one and one together and realise that if Buck's still around and not inside, there's probably only one other option.

 

*~*~*

 

He's watchful and careful as he walks from the corral to the cabin and not at all surprised to see the large grey shape stretched out on the porch. But even so, he can't quite overcome the instinct that makes him pause with a foot on the bottom step.

The wolf stares back at him for long seconds, chin on its paws, then rolls over and bares its belly. With its long pink tongue lolling out it could be smiling.

He shakes his head and huffs out a strangled sound, feeling awkward and out of his depth.

"I hope you've got some clothes nearby because if you think I'm talking to you like that, you're dreaming," he says as he crosses the porch in three long strides and goes inside.

 

*~*~*

 

The cabin's warm, if dark, and his mouth waters at the smell of good food. He shrugs out of his coat then goes to the stove and stares at the pot.

He's spent two solid days thinking of nothing other than what Buck told him, but it's only now that the pieces finally fall into place.

Buck has a streak of stubborn a mule would be proud of, and he's never been one to back away, or hide. Not even in the face of Chris's anger and Buck's own fear.

But even he'd have to admit that dinner on the stove and a wolf on the porch is about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

 

*~*~*

 

"You plan on feeding a host of people tonight," he asks, spooning a good portion of stew out of the pot onto his plate.

He'd die before he'd admit how hungry he is and he refuses to look Buck in the eye as he sits. Doesn't mean he can't almost hear Buck's eyes rolling as he replies: "Just you. Knew you'd be back tonight."

He doesn't like the idea that he might be so predictable, but Buck just meets his glare and shrugs. "You ain't one for discomfort, Chris, figured one night out on the hard ground'd be about as much as you'd take."

He slops some whiskey into the bottom of his glass and forks food into his mouth, and doesn't offer the bottle.

 

*~*~*

 

"You never found the right moment in twelve years of us being friends? That's bullshit, Buck!" He's not angry any more but he can't seem to let it go till he understands.

"No. It ain't," Buck replies. "I never had a close friend till I met you, Chris, and we were having such a time in those early days I didn't have the heart to risk it."

They're drinking coffee and Buck has his long legs stretched out so his feet are nearly touching the stove. He looks relaxed and easy but there's tension in the stillness of his body and the careful way he chooses his words.

"I was younger then too, thought we had all the time in the world for everything. I guess I just got past the point of telling and didn't know how to go back."

 

*~*~*

 

"When we started," Buck waves a hand vaguely between them, "...you know.... it was harder, even more to lose. If we'd settled in more, I probably would've taken the chance, but then you met Sarah, and had Adam, and it seemed if you were ever going to cut me out, that'd be the time. I mean I'm not sure I'd trust me around a kid if I didn't know me better. Then, well, after you lost the both of them, I couldn't see as adding something like that would help."

Buck stares into the bottom of his mug then finally adds: "It just seemed to be one thing after another."

"Until now," he says, and just like that he's out of questions.

"Yeah, until now." Buck seems to sense he's done and for the first time in a while looks him direct in the eye. "I never expected we'd get back together again, Chris. This time I need to be who I really am. Need you to know that too."

He nods and puts his mug on the floor then leans forward with his elbows on his knees. "So you what? Thought you'd stalk me for a month or so?"

Buck has the grace to look sheepish. "Well I figured maybe if you got to know the wolf first, it'd be less of a hurdle."

"Oh right," he says, and this time it's him rolling his eyes. "That explain why you were rolling around on my porch just now looking like an overgrown carpet?"

Buck's rich laugh sends a shiver down his spine and he doesn't resist when he's pulled to his feet. "You know me, Chris. Always did rather start out how I mean to continue."

 

*~*~*

 

He wakes to find Buck wrapped around him, all solid muscle. The scent of musk triggers something primal in his brain and he curses himself for a fool for not realising that this is the beginning and end of what he needs.

He stretches and turns and feels Buck come awake, and he's more than ready when Buck's soft, warm mouth covers his. It's more than good, it's everything he wants, and he doesn't have to think any more.

Buck kisses with total concentration, everything devoted to complete involvement, like there's nothing of any consequence outside the cabin, the room, the circle of his arms.

It's easy to believe he might be right.

 

\--the end--

 

 

Feedback and comments welcome, either here or to artisan447@gmail.com


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